Approximately 80% of booksellers--both independents and chains--think that publishers are supportive of their efforts to sell books, a survey of book industry trends and attitudes commissioned by Publishers Weekly and BookExpo America found. Still, many booksellers believe that publishers can improve communications with them, particularly in terms of material sent and fielding an effective sales force.
The results of the study were delivered at a September 22 breakfast meeting in New York City by PW editor-in-chief Nora Rawlinson.
Survey respondents reported that the most effective way publishers can help spur sales is by staging author tours. The distribution of advance reading copies came in a close second; booksellers indicated that they tend to sell more copies of books they've read in advance of publication. Likewise, meeting an author at the store--even at an event that may not be jammed--can lead to more sales later.
Many respondents emphasized the importance of visits from publishers' reps, who tend to know the stores and their markets well and thus act as a great filter and conduit for information to and from publishers. (Some complained that they are seeing fewer reps or reps with vastly increased workloads.) In a similar vein, booksellers said that they would like publishers to keep in mind the markets for specific titles and authors.
Asked about the top marketing campaigns of the last year, booksellers cited the promotions launched to help sell Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation and Peter Jennings's The Century. Chain booksellers in particular felt the best marketing campaign last year was for The Greatest Generation, while independent booksellers picked Atlantic/Grove's promotion for Cold Mountain as the best of the year. The marketing campaign for Monica's Story was seen as the least effective effort last year, in large part because Monica Lewinsky told Barbara Walters so much in her prepub interview that viewers had little reason to buy the book.
Oprah was the unsurprising choice as the most influential media source to help sell new titles, followed by a New York Times review. Author appearances on National Public Radio's Morning Edition or All Things Considered were also seen as very effective in moving books at independent stores, as was a review in a local newspaper. Other media sources considered highly effective in generating sales included NPR's Fresh Air, 60 Minutes and the Today show. Chain stores found reviews and mentions in Time, Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly and USA Today, among others, to be helpful.
In addition to marketing campaigns, booksellers agreed that a book's jacket is a critical factor in getting titles off store shelves. While independent booksellers said that a cover design including the mention of an award a book has won is highly important in selling a title, chain booksellers were more in favor of plot summaries. Booksellers voted Memoirs of a Geisha as having the most effective cover design last year, followed by Jan Karon's Mitford book series.
The survey, conducted in the spring, interviewed 150 independent and 150 chain booksellers.
